Negatives
No help from the coaches
When anyone goes 3-for-17 for 27 yards, I can’t put all of the blame on the quarterback (but that’s a whole other topic on its own). Still, there were multiple throws late in the game that Mond should’ve connected on or at least came a little closer to completing. Were all of his receivers wide open? No, but as the number three dual threat quarterback in the nation, they shouldn’t have to be.
Freshmen mistakes
Mond looked like your typical freshman: scared and relying on his legs. Now, it’s a great thing that he can run like a gazelle because if he couldn’t he may have done worse. Sure, 3-for-17 may not be entirely his fault but you have to give him some of the blame. Call it lack of experience if you’d like, but his accuracy was sub-par and his decision making wasn’t great either.
He, like most young players, seemed to have to “one-and-run” mindset. For him, it works a little better. But as a quarterback who needs to develop and become more of a pocket guy, you wish he’d throw it more and more accurately.
Verdict
Mond looked a little scared out there and made some rookie mistakes. The play calling didn’t really help him too much but he still could’ve been more accurate. He ran pretty well and he’ll only get better. Pair that with his natural arm strength, and teams everywhere should hope he doesn’t get more accurate. It looks like the starting job is his now due to Starkel’s apparent injury. Let’s see how he progresses throughout the season. Can he be who Kevin Sumlin and the Ags need him to be?